Dolores Jordan, First Lady of Derby Street

SALEM — She’s the “First Lady of Derby Street,” and Derby Street is coming together to celebrate her legacy of protecting and cementing the community’s history in the Witch City.

The Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) will celebrate the legacy of Dolores Jordan on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Hawthorne Hotel ballroom.

Jordan, 86, is a lifelong Salem resident, born and raised in the home she lives in at the corner of Derby and White streets.

When she was born, Derby was home to the city’s Polish community, Jordan said. Today, it’s a busy throughway connecting downtown Salem to Route 1A with vibrant wharves, impressive views of the ocean and a rich awareness of its maritime history.

The First Lady of Derby Street played a heavy hand in that, even if the Derby Street she knew as a child no longer exists.

Born and raised in Polish Salem

“My parents bought this house in 1912,” Jordan said, sitting out on a back porch overlooking her garden. “I was born a few years after that, and our family has lived here up to now.”

Jordan was born to Polish parents; in fact, her father owned a store that much of the city’s Polish community centered around.

It was a hard-working community, one that didn’t have access to things such as transportation to get to work, according to Jordan. Read more.